Hot Projects and Cool San Francisco

Okay, so my Swedener posts are dwindling into almost non-existence these days, as I'm back in the U.S. with scant connection to my Scandinavian sisters and brothers. (See exhibits A, B, and C in the photo at left: Swedes in Silicon Valley!) I think I will wrap up this blog in the next month or so, but as promised, I'd like to ride it out till the end of the Bonnier Publishing Program, when we find out whether any of the projects being proposed by the course participants are actually accepted for launch by the Bonnier "Dragon's Den."

If you'll remember from many posts back, we were given the task of coming up with four ideas for new Web sites that would earn money in a novel way (not impression-based advertising) and have a clear connection to Bonnier's established expertise in publishing.

Well, two weeks ago, the international group of 20 Bonnier Publishing Program participants met for an inspirational jaunt around Silicon Valley, schmoozing with venture capitalists, start-ups, social media experts, a Stanford futurist and even meeting with Google and LucasArts. It was a pretty great trip, and in between the study visits, we spent time in our project groups, working out the plans for our final presentations, which will be delivered to the Bonnier top management group (otherwise known as the "dragons") in Stockholm, in about a month.

The topics of our projects are not secret: the head of Bonnier's R&D department was present on the day we delivered our original conceptualizations way back in February. So I think it's safe to at least vaguely allude to them here (although I won't go into detail for obvious intellectual property reasons).

Idea 1: A system for creating niched search portals on the fly.
Idea 2: An innovative creative tool for pre-literate children.
Idea 3: An online memorial community for celebrating deceased loved ones.
Idea 4: A social shopping site based on visual search.

All the ideas could become viable Web sites—the hitch, of course, is in the pitch. Who will do the best job presenting a business case? Which idea will be most appealing in the current economic conditions and the specific launch market we're targeting? Which one is most relevant to Bonnier's goals for online expansion? Find out, when Megan returns to Stockholm for the Artificial Swedener finale! (Cue dramatic music... and cut.)